Final Word from Tuesday, June 20, 2023
The Senate gave final legislative approval at the end of May to a defense bill for amending the conscription act and making other changes in the defense field, and Pres. Petr Pavel signed it into law on June 7. The new law makes it possible for adult Czechs to volunteer for a peacetime pre-conscription that would initially require only a medical examination but that would put them at the top of the list for the draft if the security situation in the country worsened. A government decree could then be used to call them up. Army Chief of Staff Karel Řehka said in LN yesterday that the security paradigm has fundamentally changed and that a whole-of-society approach to defense is needed. This presents an unprecedented opportunity for lawmakers, politicians, oligarchs, corporate leaders, journalists and activists to put their money where their mouth is and to prove the extent of their support for Western values and liberal democracy. They can be the first to sign up for the pre-conscription. [ Czech Republic Lidovky Lidové noviny voluntary military duty ]
Glossary of difficult words
to draft - to conscript (someone) for military service;
conscription - compulsory enlistment for state service, typically into the armed forces;
to call up - to summon someone to serve in the army;
to put one's money where one's mouth is - to show by actions and not just words that one supports or believes in something.